Monday, June 23, 2014

NC Strikes Down Jim Crow Gun Law

Last week, lawmakers in North Carolina voted to abolish a Jim Crow era gun law that required gun owners in Durham County to register their guns with the county.

Jim Crow gun laws like this one are a reminder of the racist roots of gun control — something liberals and gun grabbers don’t want you know about. Many state and county gun laws that are still in effect today were originally passed to keep guns out of the hands of blacks.

This kept happening long after Jim Crow. In California in the 1960s, the Mulford Act (which was supported by the NRA) was passed out of fear of the Black Panther movement.

In North Carolina, lawmakers voted unanimously to retract the law. Because the law only covered one county, the bill striking it down didn’t require the signature of the governor and went into effect immediately.

The lawmakers in North Carolina did the right thing, but this law is a reminder of how the government uses gun registration to keep weapons away from anyone who might oppose it. Jim Crow gun laws had nothing to do with crime and everything to do with consolidating the government’s power.

The fact that these laws are still in effect in some places is a disgusting reminder of the real motivations behind gun control.